The Sparta Settlement

The Sparta Settlement. . , This area of Ontario was originally inhabited by the Attawandarons (Neutrals), but they were dispersed by the conflict between the Hurons and the Iroquois two hundred years before Europeans came to the area. In 1813 Jonathan Doan, a Quaker came to the region seeking a safer place to settle. The Quakers had settled in Sugarloaf in the Niagara area but due to the War of 18 12, they feared losing their land as they did not take up arms for either side. Doan acquired land from Colonel James Baby for a Quaker settlement. By 1815, many Quakers from both the Niagara region and the northern United States had come to settle here. They received approval by 1820 to be an official preparatory Quaker meeting, building their first meeting house west of the village where the current Quaker cemetery is situated., The Quaker influence on many of the early buildings is evident. They believed in simplicity and function. Many of these colonial styled buildings still in existence, feature scooped awning porches to keep the rain water away from their building foundations. Later other settlers came; Baptists and Methodists added their distinctive styles including the erection of two churches. , Sparta was originally called The Corners, but in 1834 a new name was required as a post office was to be opened. Sparta was chosen by the landowners after much debate. It seems a strange name for a Quaker settlement but Greek names were popular in the region at that time. You will also note Greek details on many of the early buildings (pilasters, dentils, etc.)., The community reached its height of prosperity in the 1870s but then dwindled as the American railway chose to go north of here through St.Thomas due to the large ravines in the Sparta area. Sparta is an excellent agricultural region and a well preserved piece of Ontario's history.